1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a treatment apparatus and method and more specifically a mobile soil and sludge treatment apparatus and a method of treating soil and sludge useful in a soil washing process or a biological decontamination of soils and/or sludges. In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of tanks are mounted on a vehicular trailer for over-the-road movement and each tank includes aerator/mixers and a plurality of peripherally arranged air jets with the mixing, aeration and air jets to prevent settling of the solids in the slurry during the process. In a second embodiment of the invention, single large tank is mounted on a vehicular trailer with the including aerator/mixers and a slurry pump for recirculating slurry throughout the tank with the recirculating pipes terminating in jet nozzles or eductors which enhance mixing and solids suspension. In a third embodiment, the aeration/mixing is obtained by a plurality of downwardly directed air jet nozzles adjacent the bottom of the tank. The apparatus and method efficiently maintain the suspension of solids in a slurry environment for enhancing solubilizing of contaminants from the solids and producing decontaminated soils.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
A method and apparatus for biological remediation using the liquid/solid contact process is disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,102 issued Apr. 22, 1986. The method or process disclosed that patent involves biological treatment of organic disclosed in a slurry system and is usually accomplished in large open or in-ground reactors. Sludges which contain high organic concentrations are best treated in large reactors while solids containing lower levels of contaminants tend to clog the system by settling out of the slurry. This results in decontamination being retarded in the settled precipitated material. Another problem arises during transfer from one tank to another is the easy removal of the liquid portion of the material which leaves the solids in the tank with final removal of the solids requiring mechanical or in some cases hand excavation. Various equipment is known to treat contaminated materials but none of the known apparatuses or methods are equivalent to this invention.